'Dragon Teeth,' set amid a 19th century rivalry between two paleontologists, is due out May 2017

A newly discovered novel from late writer Michael Crichton is on the way.

“Dragon Teeth” is set in the late 19th century American West. It focuses on the real-life rivalry between paleontologists Edward Drinker Cope and Othniel Charles Marsh — during a time known as the “Bone Wars” — as seen through the story of fictional character William Johnson. Crichton’s widow, Sherri, recently discovered the manuscript.

Longtime Crichton publisher HarperCollins Publishers acquired the rights to the novel, which will be released May 2017 in the U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia, New Zealand and India. HarperCollins, like The Wall Street Journal, is owned by News Corp.

Sherri Crichton was searching her late husband’s files for material for the Michael Crichton Archives when she discovered the manuscript. She said in a statement that she was “immediately captivated” by the work. “It has Michael’s voice, his love of history, research and science all dynamically woven into an epic tale.”

Crichton, who died from cancer at age 66 in 2008, is perhaps best known as the author of the best-selling novel “Jurassic Park,” which went on to spawn four blockbuster films, the first of which he co-wrote. In addition, he wrote several novels and nonfiction books, and directed the films “Westworld” and “Coma,” among others. He was an executive producer on the long-running, Emmy-winning NBC drama “E.R.,” and he shared a technical achievement Academy Award in 1995.

Harper publisher Jonathan Burnham said in a statement that the story “harkens back to some of the great historical novels that Michael wrote – such as ‘The Great Train Robbery’ – but it also looks forward to Crichton fiction that explored more futuristic scenarios.”

“Dragon Teeth” will be the third Crichton novel published posthumously, following 2009′s “Pirate Latitudes” and 2011′s “Micro.”